第一次來日本

Getting in from the airport

Rail is the most reliable route from both Narita and Haneda. Get a Suica or PASMO — the mobile version works too — and it covers almost every train, bus and convenience store in the city. Every district on this site sits on or near the Yamanote loop line, so staying near a Yamanote station keeps all of them within about 30 minutes.

Tax-free shopping

Visitors on a temporary visitor status can buy tax-free from 5,500 yen including tax, counted per store per day. You need your physical passport; a photo is not accepted. Because the threshold is per store, concentrate your spending in one shop rather than spreading it across several.

Cash and cards

Cards and mobile payments work almost everywhere in central Tokyo, including every official store on this site. Carry some cash anyway: small second-hand shops, capsule toy machines, coin lockers, older arcades and Comiket circles are cash-based. Capsule machines need 100-yen coins specifically.

Mobile data

Store entry restrictions are announced the morning of, pop-up stock updates go out on social media, and café reservations run on Japanese web systems. An eSIM installed before you fly is the simplest answer for most travellers; a pocket Wi-Fi device is cheaper per person for groups of three or more.

Luggage

Large suitcases are genuinely awkward on a busy store floor, and several places on this site have narrow stairs. Use station coin lockers. On heavy shopping days, buy the bulky, cheap things last so you know what luggage allowance you have left.

Shipping things home

Japan Post international parcels are reliable and many post offices handle English forms. Ship a few days before departure rather than on the last day. Shipping does not remove your responsibility for import duties at home, so check your own threshold before sending a large box.

Etiquette that actually matters

Do not take phone calls on trains. Queue properly, always. Check the signage before photographing inside a store. Avoid eating while walking outside designated areas. Do not tip — it is not expected and it causes confusion.